‘Avengers 4’ Just Cast A Blast From The Marvel Past

Avengers 4 keeps adding to its cast, and a recent addition has fans totally stunned. The new casting is definitely a blast from the past, as Avengers 4 has just added Ty Simpkins to the roster.

Simpkins, 16, was known for his role in 2013’s Iron Man 3. The young actor portrayed Harley Keener, a kid obsessed with science, technology, and Tony Stark himself. Keener ended up saving Stark’s life in the film and even softened up the sarcastic superhero.

The two actors had a terrific back and forth on screen, and Stark gifted Keener with a completely decked out technology lab at the film’s conclusion. CinemaBlend notes the similarities between the two characters and their relationships with their fathers.

Stark always had issues with his father Howard before his untimely death and Keener explained in Iron Man 3 that his father left to buy scratch-off tickets over six years ago and never came back.

There are no specifics on Simpkin’s role just yet, whether it be minor or not. Simpkins could potentially be opening the door to a bigger Marvel future.

In an interview with Comicbook.com in May 2013, Simpkins admitted he had a three-picture deal with Marvel. The fine print on deals like that is that the actor has to earn those roles. If the contract is still in play, Avengers 4 would be his second film.

There are dozens of fan-theories suggesting what Simpkins role could be in the Marvel franchise, and some might require a second look.

Harley Keener is not a character from Marvel comics; the role was created for the film. This has caused fans to speculate that Harley Keener is not his real name, with Simpkins even admitting in an interview he believes Harley is his middle name.

What does this mean? It could mean anything, really. One popular theory is that Keener’s real first name is Nathaniel, which Marvel comic fans would recognize as Iron Lad.

Last year, Movie Pilot suggested this theory, as Iron Man has been rumored to die in Avengers: Infinity War. If Harley ended up actually being Iron Lad, he could carry on the Iron Man legacy into Marvel’s future.

The problem with this theory is Iron Lad is a character from the future, most specifically the 31st century. He is able to travel back in time where he tries to contact the Avengers and has an encounter with Scarlet Witch.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ92dbLFoVf/?hl=en&taken-by=darthsimpkins

The MCU has been able to twist stories and plot lines from the comics, so anything is possible. For now, it appears like Simpkins role could just be some sort of cameo. It should be noted that Simpkins was present for the top secret Marvel photoshoot a few weeks ago, as well as the Thor: Ragnarok premiere.

Since Iron Man 3, Simpkins hit it big landing a major role in 2015’s Jurassic World, and 2016’s The Nice Guys with Ryan Gosling. Simpkins will not be returning in JurassicWorld: Fallen Kingdom with Chris Pratt when it premieres next June.

Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018. The untitled fourth Avengers flick will follow on May 3, 2019.